{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T00:51:14Z","timestamp":1791507074713,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Family Process"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Direct\u2010to\u2010consumer (DTC) DNA testing has led to a surge in misattributed parentage discoveries, often referred to as \u201cnot parent expected\u201d (NPE) events. While prior research has focused primarily on the experiences of those discovering a parent was not as expected, this qualitative study explores the systemic impact of NPE events on entire families by examining how such discoveries are experienced by multiple family members. Drawing on in\u2010depth interviews with 43 members of 11 families in the United States and Canada, we identified four interrelated processes characterizing family responses to NPE discoveries: systemic disruption, intergenerational secrecy and betrayal, ambiguous loss and identity renegotiation, and adaptive realignment over time. Guided by Family Systems Theory, Ambiguous Loss Theory, Betrayal Trauma Theory, and Communication Privacy Management Theory, we illustrate how NPE discoveries destabilize family roles, challenge kinship boundaries, and prompt complex negotiations of trust, identity, and information sharing. Our results highlight the widespread emotional impact on family members and the varied pathways they take toward adaptation, with outcomes shaped by pre\u2010existing family dynamics, the response of the parent who had been keeping the secret, and the family's capacity for open communication and meaning making. Implications of this research include the need for family\u2010centered therapeutic interventions, enhanced education and training for mental health professionals to address the unique challenges NPE discoveries pose, and greater public awareness of the psychosocial consequences these events have on families.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/famp.70207","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T00:27:08Z","timestamp":1791505628000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Ripple Effects of Misattributed Parentage: The Systemic Family Impact of \u201cNot Parent Expected\u201d Discoveries"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"65","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5353-8037","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michele","family":"Grethel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Suzanne Dworak\u2010Peck School of Social Work University of Southern California  Los Angeles California USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6835-1550","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brianne Kirkpatrick","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher  Charlottesville Virginia USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7065-4921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Olivia","family":"Schuman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Philosophy University of Louisville  Louisville Kentucky USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4430-2740","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christi","family":"Guerrini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Baylor College of Medicine  Houston Texas USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/504167"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2023.115142"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jgc4.1977"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.2005.036517"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_1","volume-title":"Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live With Unresolved Grief","author":"Boss P.","year":"1999"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_1","volume-title":"Loss, Trauma, and Resilience: Therapeutic Work With Ambiguous Loss","author":"Boss P.","year":"2006"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1741\u20103729.2007.00444.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.4135\/9781506352206.n5","volume-title":"Family Stress Management: A Contextual Approach","author":"Boss P.","year":"2017"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_10_1","volume-title":"Family Therapy in Clinical Practice","author":"Bowen M.","year":"1978"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4135\/9781036232078.n9","volume-title":"Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide","author":"Braun V.","year":"2021"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_13_1","volume-title":"Research Design and Methods: An Applied Guide for the Scholar\u2010Practitioner","author":"Burkholder G. 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